Shocking Instructions

[rjordan390]

The Instructions say for problem algae to double shock the water. Does this mean to double the usual maintenance dose?

[LegsOnEarth]

That is what the instructions on the back of that package mean. It is not very likely, however, taht following said instructions will remove the algae problem from your pool.

If you are having issues with a green pool, lets start over form the beginning. What we will need is the following:

1)Size and type of pool you have, including the total gallons

2)A recent water test for the following:

Free, Total and Combined Chlorine

pH

Alkalinity

Calcium Hardness

CYA (also called Stabilizer or conditioner)

Preferably you will get these results from your own test kit, but you can also get them from a local pool store

3)How often you are running your pump for and what type of filter/equipment you have on your pool.

Get me that and I can help you.

[rjordan390]

Well, I started the shock treatment last night and saw some improvement. This morning I changed the filter and gave my 2400 gallon pool another shock treatment. Now it appears the algae is gone but looking at a sample of its water in a glass as compared to fresh tap water, its just a bit cloudy. I did adjust the pH to 7.2 after the first treatment and do not know what it is now.

Now as for the tests that are required:

My kit measures total chlorine only. I just purchased HTH pool chemicals and one of these are chlorine tablets which I believe have some type of stabilizer in it.

So as of now, I do not have a separate stabilizer as you mentioned. I do have a calcium test kit that I used for my fresh water aquarium and I think I can use that. It can test for calcium and calcium carbonate. So which one are you referring to? I also have a carbonate hardness test kit that I used for my aquarium, and maybe I can used that and then convert the units to alkalinity.

So all thats left for tests is free chlorine. I may have to purchase that.

The pool is 14 feet by 3 feet and it holds 2400 gallons but I suspect it is not full and has 2000 gallons in it. Its a copy of an Intex pool and the filter is an rp800, gph is 780 and the cartridge is about 4-1/8 inch diameter by 8 inches long. There is no other equipment.

[LegsOnEarth]

Well if you're dealing with an Intex pool I wish you luck. They are notoriously difficult to clean. Here are the tips I used to give customers that had purchased them (I didn't like to carry them at my store, personally).

First of all, the filter that comes with the unit is designed to last for about 2 weeks before it needs to be replaced. Fortunately, Unicel makes a replacement cartridge that has a longer shelf life and can be cleaned. I would suggest getting it. (Assuming you have access to a pool store. An "A or C" type filter is Unicell part# C-4607, which should be the filter you have based on the measurements you gave).

The intex pools have poor bottom circulation, so I would suggest for the time being you run that filter as long as possible, get it good and gummed up and then replace it. Try doing 24 - 48 hours of run time, keeping your chlorine at around 10ppm and you ph at 7.2 while it circulates. You may consider buying a clarifier to assist your dinky filter, but if you over-do it, you'll just end up with a mess so try it with what you have first. The reason your water is cloudy compared to tap is most likely due to suspended dead algae paritcles. You need filteration.

I honestly don't expect these pools to last entirely too long (unless you have the style with metal supports. I have seen those go for a couple of seasons). I would definately suggest you read more about chemical balance, and there are plenty of threads on this board that will do a better job explaining it than I, so check them out. That being said, I wouldn't stress on the calcium level too much. For your application, Chlorine, pH and Alkalinity are definately the priority. Get those looking good, filter the crap out of your pool and you should see improvements.

Hope that's helpful.

EDIT: I would like to clarify, that when I say 24 - 48 hours of circulation, i mean until you see it clear. After that, a regular 8 - 10 hour cycle will suffice.

[rjordan390]

Thanks,

I'll purchase an alkalinity test kit and perhaps a calcium kit because I am getting a much bigger pool for next season; so I will be looking at something about 22 to 25 feet long by about 14 feet wide be it square or oval. This will be an above ground pool. I and my nephew in-law have already determine that the pump is junk. So acquiring needed materials now helps the pocketbook later. We are going to stay with our existing pool until the season is over. I'll check out the water balance threads too.